A suite of music premieres and all sold out concerts

Iași, 28 februarie 2024 – The fifth edition of the Iași Classix Festival ended on February 26, 2024 with a concert in Bucharest, after eight days of concerts and events held in Iași between February 18 and 25.

This edition included 8 concerts in Iași and one in Bucharest, 2 exhibitions, 1 opening, 3 panels, a presentation, 1 animation short film screening and 2 guided tours, over 6,000 audience participants and over 50,000 online viewers who watched the live broadcasts of the events. More than 50 artists from 12 countries performed on the festival’s stages, and around 250 volunteers and professionals from the creative industries worked on the fifth edition of the festival. The masterclasses held under the auspices of Classix in Art meant 28 sessions supported by artists with internationally established careers.

As stated by Patricia Brohanschi, Festival Director, „The fifth edition confirmed to us that not only mainstream music can fill concert halls, but also classical music can make a festival sell out, as it was in our case. The public wants different concert experiences, and the involvement of partners is vital for the realization of large-scale events, with exceptional international guests. We are very happy with the success that the Classix festival achieved this year during the 8 days in Iași, but we are also honored by the wonderful opening that we met at the first concert organized in the capital.”

A suite of premieres marked this Classix edition: the European premiere of the work “I Wish I Were Water” by the Iranian composer Mirsaeed-Hosseiny Panah, the national premiere audition of the works: Ole Bull – A Mountain Vision for violin and piano, Caroline Shaw – Entr’acte and Martin Brunner – Moving Silhouettes, as well as the choreography by a corps de ballet and the performance of Igor Stravinsky’s Ritual of Spring on two pianos.

This edition of the Classix festival in Iasi was honored by the visit of the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Denmark to Romania – His Excellency, Mr. Uffe A. Balslev.

The concept of “discovering desire” dominated Classix Festival 2024, and this year’s theme invited culture lovers to join in a personal and introspective journey, encouraging them to explore the multidimensional nature of desire in the world of classical music, from the subtle, up to the passionate.

Dragoș Cantea, the Artistic Director of the festival, mentions: „The concept of the discovery of desires was realized through a balance of musical genres. Moreover, the inclusion of national creators so loved in the area, such as the composer Sabin Penea or the painter Felix Aftene, musically portrayed by international artists such as the pianist Jean-Baptiste Doulcet, denotes Classix’s specific interdisciplinarity, mutual respect, international cooperation and innovative cultural diplomacy which are the basis of each edition. Also in this edition, we are happy to have launched the Classix Collective ensemble, made up of the most versatile musicians, collaborators of the festival, in two concerts very different in style, alongside artists such as the Iranian Mirsaeed Hosseiny Panah, as well as the Italian duo of bandoneon/cvita Bandini-Chiacchiaretta in a highly acclaimed large-scale program with a program devoted to nuevo tango.The concept of the discovery of desires was realized through a balance of musical genres. Moreover, the inclusion of national creators so loved in the area, such as the composer Sabin Penea or the painter Felix Aftene, musically portrayed by international artists such as the pianist Jean-Baptiste Doulcet, denotes Classix’s specific interdisciplinarity, mutual respect, international cooperation and innovative cultural diplomacy which are the basis of each edition. Also in this edition, we are happy to have launched the Classix Collective ensemble, made up of the most versatile musicians, collaborators of the festival, in two concerts very different in style, alongside artists such as the Iranian Mirsaeed Hosseiny Panah, as well as the Italian duo of bandoneon/cvita Bandini-Chiacchiaretta in a highly acclaimed large-scale program with a program devoted to nuevo tango.”

On the occasion of the Year of Czech Music – 2024, a concert took place in Bucharest on February 26, organized in partnership with the Czech Center and the Embassy of the Czech Republic in Romania. The concert was performed by Trio Bohémo (Czech Republic).

The Classix in Focus events were attended by: Cristina Uruc – Artexim Manager / Enescu Festival; Corina Ciuplea – Artist Manager Bucharest Film Orchestra / Cellist Muse Quartet; Patricia Brohanschi – Director and Co-Founder of Classix Festival and Rocanotherworld; Andra Andriucă – Artist & Mentee in the Women in Music Mentorship Program and Iulia Pop – Co-founder of Overground Music / Communication Manager Mastering the Music Business and Women in Music Romania, Andrei Popov – Deputy Director of the Austrian Cultural Forum; Răzvan Popovici – violist, Executive Director of SoNoRo; Ioan Dragoș Dimitriu – pianist, SoNoRo business & innovation developer; Florin Estefan – baritone, Manager of the Romanian National Opera Cluj-Napoca; Dragoș Cantea – pianist, Artistic Director Classix Festival; Andrei Fermeșanu – tenor, Manager of the Romanian National Opera Iasi; Sabin Penea – violinist, Artistic Director of JazzUP festivals; Adela Liculescu – Laureate of the George Enescu International Competition, Valentin Șerban – Winner of the George Enescu International Competition; Mirsaeed Hosseiny Panah – composer; Philipp Jundt – flutist; Bjørk-Guinevere Kinsella Eide, – pianist and conductor; Robert Cozma – composer and arranger; Ioana Chiriac – pianist; flutists Soyoun Kim, Jie-Youn Lee and Hyunim Yoon.The Classix in Focus events were attended by: Cristina Uruc – Artexim Manager / Enescu Festival; Corina Ciuplea – Artist Manager Bucharest Film Orchestra / Cellist Muse Quartet; Patricia Brohanschi – Director and Co-Founder of Classix Festival and Rocanotherworld; Andra Andriucă – Artist & Mentee in the Women in Music Mentorship Program and Iulia Pop – Co-founder of Overground Music / Communication Manager Mastering the Music Business and Women in Music Romania, Andrei Popov – Deputy Director of the Austrian Cultural Forum; Răzvan Popovici – violist, Executive Director of SoNoRo; Ioan Dragoș Dimitriu – pianist, SoNoRo business & innovation developer; Florin Estefan – baritone, Manager of the Romanian National Opera Cluj-Napoca; Dragoș Cantea – pianist, Artistic Director Classix Festival; Andrei Fermeșanu – tenor, Manager of the Romanian National Opera Iasi; Sabin Penea – violinist, Artistic Director of JazzUP festivals; Adela Liculescu – Laureate of the George Enescu International Competition, Valentin Șerban – Winner of the George Enescu International Competition; Mirsaeed Hosseiny Panah – composer; Philipp Jundt – flutist; Bjørk-Guinevere Kinsella Eide, – pianist and conductor; Robert Cozma – composer and arranger; Ioana Chiriac – pianist; flutists Soyoun Kim, Jie-Youn Lee and Hyunim Yoon.

Cultural project co-financed by The Administration of the National Cultural Fund.

The project does not necessarily represent the position of The Administration of the National Cultural Fund. AFCN is not responsible for the content of the project or how the results of the project may be used. These are entirely the responsibility of the beneficiary of the funding.

With its debut in 2020, Classix has become one of the most important international independent festivals in Romania, which gathered in 5 editions over 20,000 spectators in halls and 250,000 online, 250 international artists from 20 countries, 25 cultural and diplomatic partners , in 37 concerts, 17 panels, 3 lectures, 3 openings, 5 exhibitions, a book launch, 9 film screenings, 149 masterclasses and 15 grants for artists worth 15,000 euros.

Organisers: Asociația Industrii Creative, Showberry

Cultural partners: Forumul Cultural Austriac, Institutul Francez din România la Iași, Centrul Ceh, Centrul Cultural German Iași, Institutul Polonez, Istituto Italiano di Cultura di Bucarest, Swiss-Korean Cultural Association

Diplomatic partners: Ambasada Regatului Danemarcei în România
Institutional partners: Filarmonica de Stat „Moldova” Iași, Complexul Muzeal Național „Moldova” Iași, Episcopia Romano – Catolică Iași, Universitatea Națională de Arte „George Enescu” Iași, Muzeul Municipal „Regina Maria”, Opera Națională Română Iași, Muzeul Literaturii Române Iași

Hospitality partners: Vitamin Aqua, Noir Coffee Roasters, Gramma, Volvo Nordic Cars, Hotel Unirea, Powers, Iași.Travel, Soft & Grace, Oddity, Foom by Nemțeana, Acaju

Promotion partners: Printco

Lifestyle partners: Chotronette, Tudor Tailor, Studio Esthetique

Media partners: Radio România Internațional, Radio România Cultural, Radio România Muzical, Radio France International, Radio Iași, Viva FM, Radio HIT, Smart Radio, IQads, Scena9, Cărturești, Dilema Veche, Zile și Nopți, Capital Cultural, Romania Journal, Suplimentul de Cultură, Ziarul de Iași, Observator Cultural, Aici a Stat, Curatorial.ro, Bookhub.ro, LiterNet.ro, News.ro, Infomusic.ro, Fashion Premium Magazine, Like5.ro, Aleph News, Canal 33, Modernism.ro